More Language Mix-ups and our Driver

Have you seen this man?  He's bad at blogging.

Superfluous sunset with palm trees.  Because why not?

Because who doesn't love baby cows?

So one thing I’ve learned while I’ve been in Senegal is that I’m really bad at blogging.  Sorry about that if you’ve been checking this blog on a regular basis only to be disappointed, anyway, here’s another post that’s just going to be things that occur to me as I sit typing this while listening to music that I’d rather dance too, and hey, maybe I am dancing, you can’t see me.

So our driver is Senegalese, and he doesn’t speak any English, and he’s a pretty awesome guy.  His name is Damesee (probably incorrect spelling…).  Even though Dame (pronounced Dom) and I don’t speak the same language, we get along grandly.  Dame, so I’ve heard is in his late fifties, but looking at him, you might guess he’s in his early to mid-forties.  Anyway Dame is a jokester, all the Wolof that I know I’ve learned from him, and it’s all pretty much food.  He loves the fact that I love Senegalese food, at least that’s what I think it is.  Anyway, food is a running source of comedy for our crew, and I am often the root of the comedy.  My love of Café Touba often prompts suggestions by he and Roger of Café Touba whenever we see some along the side of the road, and at seemingly random times, Damesee will look at me and say Café Touba (or insert other Senegalese fare here).  I will look at Damesee and respond “Café Touba neehana (spelling is probably horrendous, my bad)” or “Café Touba is good” in Wolof.  As I type it doesn’t seem quite so comedic.  However Dame and I find these exchanges to be hilarious. 

This type of exchange also led to some confusion along the lines of the candle/mango confusion of July (or was it August, I’m typing this on Word, because the internet is down, so I can’t do any fact checking, or spell checking on the Wolof, oh well, sorry if this frustrates you to no end).  So a while ago Dame taught me to say things such as, “Bread and onions” or “Mboro ac soblay” and the like.  Well he also said, “Café Touba ac maio (sounds kind of like my-o).”  Now, understand that Mayonnaise is pretty popular here in Senegal.  When he said this the first time I laughed out loud and reacted like one should to the proposition of coffee and mayonnaise, horrified (but in an altogether good-humored way).  At my reaction everyone reacted uproariously.  This particular exchange happened every so often over the next couple of weeks with the same result.  Then late one afternoon we were stopped in a village while Dame went to pick up some fresh milk.  I asked Roger what the Wolof word for milk was.  His response, “Maio.”  I immediately let out a long, loud burst of laughter.  When I stopped laughing, Nate asked me what I was laughing about.  “Café Touba ac maio,” I said, its milk, not mayonnaise!  More laughter followed this revelation.  I still find it hilarious.  Classic mix-up as they say. 

Also from Damesee I have acquired what could be my most innovative nickname yet:  Sosoblay.  This means:  Onion Sauce.  Dame noticed that I really like onions, including onion sauce, which is a common spread for ones morning baguette.  Anyway, after many hilarious exchanges involving sosoblay, it became my nickname.  Whenever Dame says Sosoblay, I can be sure that when I turn he’ll be smiling or smirking like it’s one of the most hilarious things in the world, and indeed I think it is.  Anyway Dame is an awesome guy, and along with being very nice and friendly (and hilarious in my humble opinion, I think it has something to do with the delivery) he’s also one of the best drivers we could ever have.

Not only is he a super driver, he also speaks most if not all of the languages spoken in Senegal (he speaks at least five that I know of, probably more).  So when we go into a village, he’s the man explaining what we’re up to, what we hope to accomplish, and the like.  He is indispensable to the project. 

I actually think that’s enough for one post.  One shouldn’t stare to long at a computer screen.  Why don’t you log out, shut the computer down, grab a cup of coffee or a glass of lemonade (weather depending), and go sit outside on a chair or step or whatever is handy, and just look at that tree in the yard, or the grass, or the sky, or the leaves, or perhaps your twin black Labrador retrievers Heidi and Elsa frolicking about in playful abandon (I prefer the last option).  May the Lord bless you.

Photo credit to my Mom (who recently sent me some Swiss Cake Rolls!  She's awesome!)